Iftar food surplus and unwanted items donated to the needy this Ramadan

Untouched food leftover from iftars as well as unwanted clothes and furniture are being donated to thousands of needy families and poor workers as part of a Ramadan campaign launched by Nahtam and Grace Conservation.

ABU DHABI // Untouched food left over from iftars – together with clothes and furniture – are being donated to thousands of needy families and low-income workers in the UAE.

It is part of a Ramadan campaign by a charitable organisation in Abu Dhabi.

Nahtam and Grace Conservation, which operates under the UAE Red Crescent, is working to collect and distribute the items.

“Collecting food surplus is a very sensitive area because the quality, transportation and surroundings of the food have to be handled well and hygienically within a fixed time,” said George Itty, Nahtam’s chief executive.

Staff members of the group collect untouched food left over from iftar from hotels and restaurants to be distributed to labourers and poor families.

“We get on average 50 to 100 kilograms [of food] after each iftar, and 300 grams to half a kilogram is sufficient for one person,” Mr Itty said.

“Grace conservation means to conserve your blessings, which include having enough food, water, clothes, facilities and health. So all our activities help in that.”

Unwanted clothes and furniture can be donated to the charity by calling 800 5011. The furniture is repaired and polished before being given to those in need.

“If we don’t share our culture and what we have with the new generation and the younger people, they will not know what humanity and opportunity are,” said Mr Itty.

Last Sunday the charity launched a campaign for people to donate money. “We partnered with Khalidiyah Mall where there are now three big leafless trees in the main atrium,” Mr Itty said.

“Each person can buy a leaf for Dh10 and hang it on one of the trees, from 10am to 2am the next day. It’s a simple but nice thought.”

Residents said such campaigns showed the true meaning of Ramadan.

“This month is meant to be about giving back and feeling blessed,” said Noor Mohammed, a 26-year-old Egyptian resident of Abu Dhabi. “It is a nice reminder of how thankful we should be for what we have and how we can help others that are less fortunate than us.”

A two-week trial of a post-Ramadan project aimed at distributing water and cold drinks to outdoor workers in Abu Dhabi during the summer months was completed recently.

“We concentrate on construction workers, road cleaners and gardeners because they’re always under the Sun,” Mr Itty said.

An Indian gardener who remits money to his family said he was grateful for the donations.

“We always count everything we make and send it back to our villages for our children’s education, our parents who need medicine and our wives,” said the 50-year-old. “This is at least a great appreciation for us, that somebody is thinking about us.”

Volunteers for the organisation's humanitarian campaigns can apply here. ​